Sr. Mary Rita McSorley

Sister Mary Rita McSorley, RSM Sister Mary Rita McSorley (formerly Sister Mary Rita Joseph), age 89, died October 3 at McAuley Convent in Merion Station. She was the tenth of 15 children born to Richard and Marguerite McSorley, eight of whom entered religious life. She graduated from West Philadelphia Catholic High School for Girls in June, 1942, entered the Sisters of Mercy the following September, and professed her vows in August, 1945. For almost 30 years she taught in elementary schools in the Philadelphia area and in the Diocese of Allentown. She was Principal of St. Alice School in Springfield, OR and St. John School in Hapeville, GA. During those years she also earned a Bachelor Degree from Villanova and Masters Degree from Portland University. In 1974 she left the classroom and began parish ministry, first in St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Levittown, PA then in parishes in Hialeah and West Palm Beach, FL. In Florida, she studied pastoral counseling at St. Thomas University (formerly Biscayne College). She became interested in Bereavement Counseling and trained to become a Bereavement Counselor and a Hospice Volunteer. Her 10-year ministry in Plaquemine, LA focused on visiting the sick and counseling the bereaved. She sponsored and taught in programs which gave other people skills to understand the stages of grief and offer support to grieving persons. Returning to the Philadelphia area in 1996, Sister Mary Rita was a Volunteer Bereavement Counselor and Coordinator with Mercy Health Hospice in Darby, then with Vitas Hospice, Darby. During this time, she also volunteered with Mercy Home Health, making phone calls to patients, checking on their condition and helping to connect them with services. In 2003, she was featured in an article in the Philadelphia Inquirer about Hospice Volunteers Her own declining health caused her to retire to McAuley Convent in December, 2011. She continued to read on a wide variety of subjects and enjoyed a spirited discussion on Church or political topics. Her interest in and support for the various ministries conducted by the Sisters of Mercy, both near and far, remained strong. She maintained her phone connections as a “Merciful Companion” to several clients she’d met through Mercy Home Health. In addition to her religious community, she is survived by her sister, Sister Rosemary McSorley, SHCJ, and many nieces and nephews. She was the sister of the late Bishop Francis McSorley, OMI, of Jolo, the Philippines; Rev. Richard, SJ; Winifred Allen; Rev. Patrick, SJ; Sister Eleanor, IHM; Rita; Rev.James, OMI; Joseph; John; Sister Thérèse, SCHJ; Marguerita Walsh; Paul; Anne Lukens. Relatives and friends are invited to her Visitation, Friday, October 11, 6:00 – 7:00 pm followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 7:00 pm in the Chapel at the Convent of Mercy, 515 Montgomery Avenue, Merion Station, PA 19066. Burial will be private. Contributions in Sister’s memory may be sent to the Sisters of Mercy Mid-Atlantic Community at the above address.